Work has begun on the production of the first Armoured Combat Support Vehicle (ACSV) for the Canadian Armed Forces by General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada (GDLS-C) in London, Ontario. This work is part of a contract that was awarded to the company on September 5, 2019, to produce 360 ACSV at a contract value of approximately $2 billion (taxes included). The contract also involves the provision of initial spare parts, technical manuals, and training for the ACSV. These new vehicles will fulfill a variety of combat support roles such as that of Troop/Cargo Vehicle (TCV), ambulance, command post, and mobile repair and recovery.
“These vehicles will form the backbone of the Army’s combat support fleet, and be used on a wide range of operations including domestic disaster relief and international peace support missions,” said Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of National Defence. “Thanks to the flexibility found in our defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, work on the vehicles has started years earlier than expected and ensures that we continue to support well-paying Canadian jobs and critical innovation in communities across the country.”
Since the award of the contract, General Dynamics has subcontracted with more than 30 Canadian businesses by investing $137 million to get the work started on manufacturing the ACSVs. The company will also re-invest an equal amount to the value of the contract to create and sustain well-paying jobs across the country as per the Industrial and Technological Benefits Policy.
The new ACSVs will replace the current fleets of M113 Tracked Light Armoured Vehicle (TLAV) and the LAV II Bison and will be available in eight variants, providing services such as ambulances, vehicle recovery, engineering, mobile repair, electronic warfare, troop-carrying, and command posts.
The first vehicle is expected to be finished this December and deliveries will continue through to February 2025. All testing, training, and spare parts will be provided before the vehicles are distributed to CAF bases in 2022.
